


A Sad Fate

by Purple_fools_gold



Series: A Sad Fate [1]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Almost a love square, Don't worry, Emotions, F/M, Friendship love triangle sorta, I make the timeline, Love Triangle, M/M, Timeline What Timeline, Torture, Young Legolas, not really smut, not too bad though
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-18
Updated: 2013-11-18
Packaged: 2018-01-01 22:34:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1049350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Purple_fools_gold/pseuds/Purple_fools_gold
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I said, I'm not going, I'm staying here, in Bag End."</p><p>"Bilbo! You can't stay! We must help them reclaim Erebor! Look, I know what it's like to miss your home, I haven't been here in 35 years. But I'm willing to leave again to help them find their home. Please, Bilbo! Do it for me! For...for Thorin."</p><p>Kateri was sent away from the Shire when she was only 14. After a near-death experience, she finds herself entangled with Thorin Oakensheilds Company. Some welcome her, others do not. She battles enemies and makes friends, and may just find out why it is she's always felt so different...</p><p> </p><p>*formerly posted on my other account*</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

A girl sat in her room brushing her long, dark blonde hair. As she brushed, she thought about her home. Her /real/ home, not the cold palace she worked in.

Her real home was the Shire. Where nothing ever happened, everything stayed the same. So different from the bustling city of Annúminas.

Her adoptive mother sent her to the great city when she was only 14. She said that the young girl was too beautiful for the simplicity of the Shire. And so she became a servant at the palace of Annúminas.

She hated this place however. It was too enclosed, there wasn't enough open space. She didn't have enough freedom. She had almost no freedom, in fact.

She missed the Shire terribly.

Now, she may have lived in the Shire, but she wasn't a hobbit. She wasn't entirely sure what she was.

She was very short, so that could make her either a hobbit or a dwarf. She had no beard, so she wasn't a dwarf. She had pointed ears, so she could be a hobbit or an elf. But she wasn't tall enough to be an elf, and she didn't have hairy feet like a hobbit. She did have curly hair, however.

Whenever someone asked we what her race was, she would say she is half hobbit and half man, only to keep them from prying.

If you knew her well enough, she would say that she was the result of a huge orgy between a dwarf, man, hobbit and elf. But that was only after she'd had a few pints.

"Kateri!" A voice snapped, breaking her trail of thoughts.

"Yes?" She looked up quickly, dropping her brush.

"Go with Miana to the millers house, we need more grain."

"Yes, cook." Kateri held back a groan.

 

"And hurry back, it's nearly dark and that maniac hasn't been caught yet. I don't want to lose two servants in one night."

"Yes, cook."

The cook left her room and she sighed. It would be a long walk to the millers, they wouldn't be back until the next day. And some crazy man with a skill in knife-throwing had been roaming around the city, apparently. Not to mention she had to put up with Miana...

"'Ello Kateri!" Miana said as the younger girl met her outside the palace.

"Hello Miana. How are you today?"

"I'm fairly well, thank ya for askin'. How 'bout yourself now?"

"I'm fine as well."

Miana kept up a constant chatter as they walked, her accent thick and strong. And they walked in almost complete darkness.

The only sources of light came from lanterns placed every 40 feet or so down the roads.

Miana didn't seem to mind the darkness, however. She kept talking and talking.

"You're a very pretty lass, didja know that? Yea, I hear heard lots of the servant boys talkin bout you. Even heard the son of the steward say he thought you were too pretty to be a mere servant gal."

"Thank you, but I don't like people to notice me. I prefer to keep my hood up and head down."

"Well yes I can see why, wouldn't want suitors trying to court you every other hour now, eh? But oh you do look good in hoods! I've only just noticed, when you mentioned hoods but oh my you do!"

"Oh do I?"

"Yes, yes! With that lovely curly hair of yours that falls out! And those eyes, and your mouth! Even your chin and cheekbones!"

"Thank you"

Kateri tuned Miana out for a bit, giving the odd head nod here and there so it appeared she was listening. 

After a while, they passed a pub. Leaning against the side of the building was a man, his face hidden by shadows. Kateri frowned slightly as they passed by. She relaxed more after they turned a corner.

They walked for a while longer, and soon the hill that the millers house sat upon came into view. As they turned another corner, she noticed someone walking a ways behind them. It was the man from the pub.

"Miana. Don't look now, but there's a man following us, and I don't like the looks of him."

Miana turned around to look behind them.

Kateri grabbed her and spun her around. "I told you not to look!! Now he knows we've noticed him!"

"What should we do?!"

"Just keep walking. We'll get to the millers house soon, and he'll help us."

"What if he's not there??"

"Then we'll have to-"

She was cut off by a horrible /thwap!/ sound. Miana's eyes widend and she stumbled forwards, a knife protruding from her back.

Kateri screamed as the other girl fell down, dead. Her eyes flashed up to the man, who was walking faster now.

Biting her lip, she pulled the knife out of her friend, wincing as it dripped with blood. She started to run.

She reached the bottom of the hill and risked a glance behind her. The man was gaining on her. There were tears trailing down her face as she stumbled up the rocky hill, the man getting closer with every step.

She finally reached the top, and ran as fast as she could to the house. She pulled on the door, but it was locked. She banged her fist on it. "Miller!! Miller please open up! Help me!"

She looked behind her again and saw the man reach the top of the hill.

She was sobbing now, and screaming hysterically. "Please! Oh god, help!! There's someone after me, let me in!! I can see a light on, please!! Help m-"

Suddenly, pain flared up her leg. She screamed again and looked down to see a knife sticking out. She reached down and pulled it out, wincing from the pain. By now, the man was only 15 feet away from her.

She turned around to face him fully. She held one of the knifes behind her, and pointed the other one at the man. "Stay back. I'm warning you."

The man laughed darkly. "My, aren't you frightening. Are you going to stab me?"

Kateri said nothing.

"You're very pretty, you know that?" He was now directly in front of her. His eyes trailed down her body. "Oh,the things I would do to you-"

Kateri punched him in the jaw and swung a knife at him. His head snapped back, but he dodged her knife and grabbed her wrist tightly.

She cried out in pain as he squeezed her wrist. "That was a good punch." He squeezed tighter again, and she whimpered. "Mm, you keep making those noises darlin'. You'll want to be practising."

He squeezed her wrist even tighter until she dropped her knife. "There we go. Good girl." He pulled her closer and his free hand worked it's way up her waist to her chest. As his hand went down the front of her shirt, she whipped her free hand around and stabbed him through his wrist.

He screamed and threw her away from him. They both landed on the ground, and Kateri scampered forwards to grab her fallen knife. As the man moaned on the ground, she stabbed him through the back, where it pierced his heart. He collapsed, dead.

Kateri stood there, and suddenly the reality of everything hit her. She dropped the knife and covered her mouth with her hand. And then the pain from her leg hit her once again, and her legs have out from beneath her.

Her head snapped back as she fell, so she could see the door to the millers house once again. She stared to black out, but just before her eyes closed, she saw the door open, and a small figure stepped out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kateri meets some dwarfs, and they give her an offer she can't refuse

Kateri opened her eyes slowly, taking in her surroundings. She realized that she was on a bed inside the millers house. She started to sit up, but pain flared up her leg and she stopped.

"Leg still hurting?" Came a male voice from somewhere to her left.

Kateri's head snapped around, eyes wide. She saw a man with a gray beard sitting next to her on a stool.

"I- yes. Who are you?" She asked cautiously.

"Oin, at your service." He said, bowing slightly at the waist.

"Kateri, at yours. I'm sorry, but how- I mean, why did you-"

"Help you? Well, we couldn't leave you to bleed out on the ground, now could we?"

"I... I suppose not. Thank you, Oin." A sudden thought flashed through her mind. "If you were in here the whole time, why did you not open the door when I called for help?!"

Oin looked confused. "I'm not sure what you are talking about, Lady Kateri."

"Not sure what I am talking about?! Are you deaf or something?? I was yelling and banging on the..." Her voice trailed off as she noticed the ear-trumpet strapped to his belt. "...Door. I'm sorry, I didn't realize-"

"It's quite alright, if there's anyone to blame, it's Ori! He was the one on guard."

"Ori? There is more then one of you?"

"Oh yes! There are 5 dwarves in this house!"

"I...oh..." Kateri was at a loss for words. /Dwarves/?!

"I suppose I should check your leg now, hm?"

Kateri swallowed nervously, and nodded.

Oin hopped of his stool, and she realized that he really was a dwarf. Although, Kateri herself wasn't quite 5 feet tall...

Oin slowly unwound the bandages that covered her thigh, and she gasped when she saw the wound. Or, where the wound was supposed to be.

"How did you do that?!" She exclaimed.

Oin smiled. "A few herbs, some ointment... and you should be fine to walk on it in a few hours, although it'll be a little sore."

Kateri threw her arms around the old dwarfs neck. "Thank you! Thank you SO much! You saved my life."

"Well," Oin said, "Ori was the one who pulled you inside."

"Who is this 'Ori'? I should like to meet him!"

"He's just outside the door, he refused to leave your side for a while." Oin leaned forward and whispered, "I think he may have a wee crush on you, Lady Kateri."

I blushed. "Tell him to come in then! And I am no Lady, I am a mere servant."

Oin nodded. "As you wish, Kateri." He turned around. "ORI! You can stop hiding now, she wants to meet you! Gloin! Nori! Dori! You might as well all come in too!"

A /very/ small dwarf came rushing in, followed by three others.

"Kateri, this is Gloin, Nori, Dori, and of course, Ori."

Kateri smiled. "Hello."

The dwarves said their hello's, Ori's very bright, and Dori's rather quiet, and he scowled.

"Oin, Gloin, may I have a word?"The three of them walked out of the room while Kateri talked to the others.

"She cannot come with us, Oin."

"I don't see why not!"

"She's /human/!" Dori exclaimed.

"She is not!" Gloin said quietly. "Did you see her ears? And look at the size of her, she's barely taller then Nori!"

"Then she is a mixed-breed, and we need not get involved with her!"

"Dori, look at her! Don't tell me you don't sense something different about her!"

Dori sighed. "I-"

"And what if this hobbit Gandalf is recruiting declines? Smaug will not know the sent of a mixed-breed!" Oin interrupted.

Dori paused. "You may be right, Oin." The older dwarf smiled triumphantly, but Dori added quickly, "That is, if she willingly accepts."

They walked back into the room, where Kateri was talking to a blushing Ori.

"Kateri," Gloin began, "we have something to ask you."

"Alright." She said cautiously.

"Would you like to accompany us to the Shire?" Oin asked, before Dori could say anything.

Kateri gasped. "You're going to the Shire?! And you'll bring me with you?! Oh yes! Yesyesyesyesyes!" A huge smile spread across her face as she jumped up and hugged each of the dwarves. 

 

 

After three days of riding, they reached the Shire, and Kateri could not keep a huge smile off her face. They tied the ponies up to a fence and the dwarves scurried around, looking for a for with a "mark" on it. 

"Oi! Nori! That you, lad?" Came a call.

"Bofur!" Nori ran towards the other dwarf and clapped him on the back. 

"Who's this pretty thing?" Bofur asked as he eyed Kateri carefully. 

"This is Kateri. She, uh, got herself hurt, and we helped her. She's from here, so she's been travelling with us for a few days."

"Lovely to meet you, Kateri." Bofur said with a smile. He bowed at the waist. "Bofur, at your service."

Two more dwarfs introduced themselves as Bombur and Bifur, although the latter spoke in a language Kateri didn't understand. 

"Help us find the door then, wouldja?" Bofur asked. 

Kateri nodded, and began chexking doors. Not too much later, she was at a door with a dwarfish letter on it, and she could hear people talking inside. 

She called out to the others and they came rushing over, knocking on the door and shoving each other around. When the door opened, they all fell in, landing on a heap. Kateri was sprawled out on top, her hair flying out in every direction. 

"Oh my...I'd know that hair anywhere!! Kat?" Came a voice above her.

Only one person ever called her Kat.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kateri meets all the dwarves in bag End, and she is left with a difficult decision to make.

"Bilbo? Bilbo Baggins!?" Kateri cried out as she looked up.

She saw the smiling hobbit and leaped to her feet, tackling him in a hug, and planting kisses all over his face.

"Oh I've missed you /so/ much!!"

Bilbo laughed as he returned her hug, blushing slightly from the kisses. "I've missed you too Kat!"

She pulled back, taking a good look at him. "You've gotten fat!"

"Have not! I've just grown!"

"Yeah, around your middle!" She said with a wink.

"Well you've gotten..." Bilbo searched for a flaw to tease her about, but found none. She had become...beautiful. "Old." Was all he could come up with.

"I'm the same age as you!" She said with a laugh.

"Ah, yes. Forgotten about that. It's your birthday in a few months!"

Kateri smiled. "Yes it is!"

"50 years old! Quite a big point in life, eh?"

"Whoa whoa, what?!" Nori exclaimed. "/Fifty/?!

"Uh..yes..I wasn't quite sure how to tell you all that I age like a hobbit and not a man..." She said sheepishly.

"That's alright!" A younger dwarf called out from the table. "That just means that you're older enough to f-" an older dwarf elbowed him in the stomach, cutting him off.

"Kili!! Really?"

The dwarf named Kili just grinned mischievously at Kateri, who blushed.

At that moment, another knock on the door came, and Kateri opened it. In walked a...wizard?!

"Gandalf the Gray?!" Kateri exclaimed.

"Yes, That is me. Hullo to you, Kateri! And Bilbo, nice seeing you again."

Bilbo looked rather flustered, and Kateri confused. "How do you know my name?"

The old wizard smiled, but did not answer.

A loud crashing noise came from the dining room, and Bilbo ran in.

"Could you not do that! You'll blunt them!" Kateri heard him cry.

"Ooh, ya hear that lads? He says we'll blunt the knives!" A dwarf laughed.

"Blunt the knives, bend the forks!" Sang Kili.

"Smash the bottles and burn the corks!" Sang another, who looked like he could be Kili's brother.

"Chip the glasses and crack the plates! 

That's what Bilbo Baggins hates

Cut the cloth and trail the fat! 

Leave the bones on the bedroom mat! 

Pour the milk on the pantry floor! 

Splash the wine on every door!

Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl; 

Pound them up with a thumping pole; 

And when you've finished, if they are whole, 

Send them down the hall to roll!

That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!" The rest sang as they threw around the plates and bowls and mugs, as Bilbo stormed around angrily, and Kateri laughed and clapped along.

Then there was a knock at the door. Bilbo opened it, and in walked a rather tall dwarf. "Thorin!" Gandalf said. 

And then there was much discussion, much of which had to do with a mountain and something called Smaug.

"Um, excuse me..." Kateri piped up. "What exactly is going on?"

Thorin looked over at her. "And who are you?"

"Kateri."

"Are you a hobbit?"

Gandalf answered for her. "Yes. She is Kateri Took, second cousin thrice removed from our burglar here."

"Burglar?! I've never stolen a thing in my life!" Bilbo exclaimed.

"You're a hobbit! You're quick on your feet, and small enough to slip by without being noticed! And Smaug will not know the scent of hobbits."

"Or mixed breeds..." Dori said under his breath, receiving an elbow to the ribs from Nori. Luckily, Thorin did not hear. He was too busy looking at Bilbo.

"Will you accompany us?"

"I-" Bilbo started, but was cut of by Balin shoving a contract in from of him. "What exactly is this for?" He asked.

"Who should be notified if you die, funeral arrangements, things like that. And also names the various ways you could be hurt on this journey."

Kateri read over Bilbo's shoulder. "'Injuries may include but are not limited to laceration, abrasion and incineration?!'"

Kateri stared open mouthed at the parchment, and barely heard a Bofur say something about 'searing pain' and 'piles of ashes', and then Bilbo had fainted, squeaking out "nope." as he fell.

"Oh for the love of...BILBO GET UP!" She said, sounding slightly annoyed. When that didn't work, she grabbed a mug of ale from Kili and splashed it on the hobbits face. He woke up with a start, "Wha-? Did I faint?"

"Yeah, you did!"

Kateri stayed by him for a while, and then heard singing again:

"Far over the misty mountains cold 

Two dungeons deep and caverns old 

The pines were roaring in the high 

The wind were moaning in the night 

The fire was red 

It flaming spread 

The trees like torches blazed with light"

At that moment, Kateri realized that she could not abandon the dwarves now. Some of them had saved her life, and she needed to repay them. That night, as she lay down on a couch, she decided to leave with them the next day.

The next morning.....

Kateri awoke to sun shining on her face. She yawned, rubbing her eyes and looking around. Then she leaped up. The dwarves had left!

"Bloody hell, what time is it?!" She cried to noone in particular. "Bilbo! Bilbo? You still here?"

Bilbo came around the corner, stretching. "Yes I'm here. It's a bit past 10 o'clock I think."

"We have to go!! They've left without us! Hurry up and pack a bag!" She began running around, looking for her things.

"I'm not going, Kateri." She stopped.

"What?"

"I said, I'm not going, I'm staying here, in Bag End."

"Bilbo! You /can't/! We must help them reclaim Erebor! Look, I know what it's like to miss your home, I haven't been here in 35 years. But I'm willing to leave again to help them find their home. /Please/ Bilbo! Do it for me! For...for Thorin."

Bilbo bit his lip, and Kateri wondered if he...no. Nooonono, she didn't mean it like /that/...

"Alright! Lets go!" He said finally, and Kateri grinned and grabbed her pack and the contract that had been left on the table.

They ran out the door and down the path.

"Where are you two going?" An elderly hobbit called out.

"We're going on an adventure!" Bilbo and Kateri called back at he same time.

They called out "Stop! Stop! We've signed it!" As they neared the company on the road.

Kateri was faster and reached the dwarves first, gasping for breath. "We've- singed it!" She handed the paper to Balin as Bilbo caught up.

Was it just her imagination, or did a few dwarves seem to smile when the hobbits arrived?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very sorry for how short this is.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bilbo and Kateri have a late night talk, ten the next morning Kateri makes some Sherlock-like deductions. Fili decides that Kateri needs to learn how to fight, and she may just surprise them.

CHAPTER 4

The company sat around a fire, eating the stew that Bombur had prepared for them and talking to each other. One by one, they got up and went to bed. After a while, it was only Kateri, Bilbo, Gandalf and Thorin who were up. 

"Kateri, Bilbo, could you take first watch? Just wake up Kili and Fili and make them take the second shift in a few hours." Thorin said as he got up and rolled out his sleeping bag. 

"Alright." Kateri said. Soon after, Gandalf wandered off, and it was just the two hobbits left. They sat at opposite ends of the fire, but after a few minutes Kateri walked over to Bilbo and cuddled up with him, like they did when they were children. 

They sat in silence for a bit, and then Kateri said quietly, "Why do I feel that you wish you were in this position with someone else?"

Bilbo looked at her, surprised. "W-what are you talking about?"

"There is someone else here you care for."

"I care for all of you."

"You know what I mean." 

"No, I'm afraid I don't."

"The only reason I'm not saying his name out loud is because he might hear. And I bet there's at least two dwarves awake right now."

Bilbo sighed. "I really don't know what you're talking about, Kat."

"So you don't have feelings for... Thorin?" She mouthed his name so no one would overhear.

"I-I..of course I don't! That absurd!"

"Mmm hmm. You're secrets safe with me, Bilbo." She said with a smile. 

"Oh, I suppose you don't have feelings for Kili then?" 

Her eyes widened, and she sat up to look at Bilbo. "Now where would you get that idea?"

"The same place you got yours about me and Thorin."

Kateri giggled and settled back down. "Fair enough."

They sat in silence for the rest of their shift, and then got up to wake up Kili and Fili. The brothers stumbled up, still half asleep. When Kili saw that it was Kateri who had woken him up, he blushed slightly and smiled at her. "No trouble then?"

"None at all. Its been a quiet night." She answered, and then her and Bilbo went over to their sleeping bags. 

Kateri had only just closed her eyes when Bilbo said, "Are you okay with it? With me liking...?"

"So you're admitting it?!"

"...yes."

"Of course I'm okay with it! And I think I've always known that you were..." She let her voice trail off.

"Really?" Bilbo asked, surprised. He'd only just figured it out for himself. "How?"

Kateri smiled as she closed her eyes again, "You've never kissed me back."

 

 

Kateri awoke to the sound of quiet talking.

She slowly got up and walked over to the campfire, where most of the dwarves were seated.

She sat down, and glanced at Bilbo. 

She did a double-take, and smiled at him.

An hour later when they were alone, she grabbed him by the shoulders and said, "You did something with Thorin last night."

"What?!" He spluttered. "I, I, no. No. No, nooo. Yes. Bloody hell, Kat! How did you know?!" 

She smiled at let go of him. "Your hair is all disheveled, he's not wearing his cloak, you missed a button on your jacket, a few of his braids are undone and uh..." She leaned foreword to whisper, "your pants are inside out."

Bilbo's eyes widened, as he looked down. He swore and ran deeper into the forest to fix himself up.

Kateri laughed and turned to continue walking. 

As she turned, she ran face first into something. Thorin. 

She looked up at him hesitantly. 

"So. You know." He said rudely. 

She gulped. "Yes. It wasn't that hard to tell."

"Are you going to tell the others now?"

"Wasn't planning on it."

"Good." He snarled, and started to walk away. 

Fury burned inside of Kateri at his harsh words. "Why?" She called after him. "Are you afraid that the others don't want a gay king?" 

Thorin whirled around. "I am not afraid!" 

"Really? Because your eyes say different."

His face fell, knowing that he was caught. "Fine. I am. I'm scared that they will not accept me, or Bilbo."

"You are their king. Their only king. They love you, Thorin. No matter what. I am sorry for provoking you." Kateri said, glancing down.

"It's alright, Kateri. I shouldn't have spoke to you so harshly." He cleared his throat. "I...uh, would appreciate it if you didn't tell Bilbo about this conversation. Or anyone else, for that matter."

Kateri smiled. "Of course."

Thorin gave her a small smile back and walked away. 

Just then, Bilbo came out of the forest. "Was that Thorin? What did he want?"

"Oh, ah, nothing. He just wondered where you were." 

"Oh." Bilbo said, sounding relieved. "Where, uh, did you say I was?"

Kateri smiled playfully. "I said you were taking a piss in the forest!" And with that she walked off.

"What?! Kateri! You didn't! Did you? Did you?!"

 

 

"Alright." Fili said as he walked over to Kateri. "Time for training. Up you get!" He lifted her to her feet.

"Hey!" She cried out. "What are you doing?"

"You don't know how to fight. It's time you learned! I'll be teaching you, and Dwalin, and Nori... and Kili." He grinned as her face lit up when he said his brothers name. 

She blushed, and he laughed and slung his arm around her shoulders.

Her first lesson was with Dwalin and his two huge war-axes. "I call this one Grasper," he told her, "and this one Keeper."

"Oh, um. Why is that?"

"Because this one grasps my opponents soul, and this one keeps it!" He answered. 

Kateri turned out to not be the greatest axe fighter. In fact, she could barely lift one up.

Dwalin was somewhat disappointed. 

She mumbled an apology, but he just said, "We'll work on it more."

Next was sword fighting with Fili. 

After watching her attempt to use axes, Fili grinned teasingly and said, "I'll go easy on you." He handed her a sword and showed her a few basic moves. "The sword should be like an extension of your arm." 

She nodded, and he grinned again. "Ready? Go!" And he charged at her.

She blocked him easily, which surprised him.

He continued his attack and she continued to block his sword with her own. 

The next thing he knew, she had tripped him and was kneeling overtop of him, her sword against his throat. 

"You forget," She said with a small smile, "that I lived in a palace for 35 years. I've seen many men practising sword fighting." With that, she got off of him and helped him up.

He smiled back at her. "You're not bad."

Then Nori was teaching her how to fight when she lost all weapons. 

"Here's a trick I leaned a while ago: punch them square in the nose, it'll hurt like a bitch, and make their eyes water. Then you punch them in the stomach, and while they double over, you either push them over or chop at their neck with your hand." He smiled then. "Or, if you'd rather, do what Gloin seems to like doing and kick te bastard in the balls!" This earned a laugh from everyone, for that seemed to be Gloins signature move. 

"Taught me son that trick!" He said proudly.

Nori turned back to Kateri. "Now. Say someone grabs you from behind. I want you to grab their hands with yours, stomp on their foot, elbow them in the ribs, then drive your fist down to sack them, and that'll loosen their grip enough to allow you to bend over and grab them by te foot. Then I want you to pull up on their foot and knock them over."

"Then you stomp on their balls!" Gloin called out. "That'll do it!" 

Nori sighed. "Would you like to be the teacher then?"

"Yes I would!" Gloin said as he got up and walked over to them. "Alright, that's 'ow you get 'em if they grab you from behind. But what do you do if they grab you from the front?"

"What?" Kateri asked with a smile playing at her lips. 

"You grab them by the shoulders, knee them in the balls two or three times, then wrap your foot around their ankle and push 'em over!"

"Let me guess...and then stomp on their balls?" 

"If you like!" Gloin said with a grin.

By now, almost everyone was crying from laughter, thinking that these were stupid tricks. 

"You don't think they work?" Gandalf asked them, smiling with his pipe clenched between his teeth.

"I know they won't!" Kili laughed.

"Alright then, Master Kili. How about Kateri tried them out on you?"

The smile faltered on Kili's lips, but his cocky attitude remained. "Alright then." And he walked over to where Kateri was standing.

They stood there for a moment, neither moving. "Well go on, then!" He said. "Hit me-" he was cut off by Kateri punching him in the nose, then, (of course) kicking him in the balls, and pushing him over flat on his back. 

"Sonofabitch!" He cursed. "Ow, Kateri!" He grabbed his crotch.

"Sorry, I didn't want to punch you in the stomach! I thought that would've really hurt."

"Gahh, I would've rather been punched in the stomach!"

"Get up, Kili!" Gandalf growled. "She's got two more left."

By the end, Kili could barely walk. "Remind me to never -ow- doubt you." He said painfully as he limped over to where he had set up some makeshift targets for archery.

"I'm sorry!" Kateri said sincerely. "I didn't want to hurt you! Is there anything I can do to help?"

Kili grinned. "You could give my sore parts a massage."

She glared at him. "Just teach me how to shoot an arrow."

"Alright, alright. First thing you gotta do is brace the bow. Hold it like this around your calf, and bend it this way, pulling the string to the opposite end. It takes quite a bit of muscle, so if you can't get it the first time, that's fi-"

"Got it."

"Never mind then. Next, you nock an arrow. No no no! Do it pointing /down/! There you go, now pull back with your fingers, hold the other end with the fingers of your other hand...now aim, and let go!" 

She did as she was told, and the arrow hit the target in one of the outside rings. Kateri made a face, but Kili was astounded that she hit it at all. "Wow. That was pretty good. Go again!" 

She fired arrow after arrow, and soon they were all hitting the centre of the target. 

Kateri shook her hand out. "Ow...the arrows are burning my fingers!" 

"That happens," Kili explained. "I'll get you some finger guards and arm guards. My old ones should fit you fine until we can get some new ones." 

"Alright, thank you." She said, smiling at him. She nocked another arrow, aiming carefully. And then Kili was behind her, his breath on her neck. 

"Mind your aim..." He whispered in her ear, and she was so taken aback that she missed the target entirely. His lips grazed her ear as he whispered again, "First one to find the arrow wins."

She smiled and turned her head so her lips were near his. "You're on." And she took of running into the forest. 

Kili laughed and ran after her. He soon caught up to her, and then passed her, the arrow in sight, stuck in the side of a tree.

"Oh no you don't!" Kateri laughed as she leaped and tackled him to the ground, just as he reached for the arrow. 

The rolled across the ground, laughing, until they finally stopped, Kili on top of Kateri.

They lay there, breathing hard, smiling at one another. Then they realized the position they were in. 

"Kili..." Kateri said softly. 

"Yes?" He said, leaning down so their lips were nearly touching again.

"I..." She closed her eyes, lips reaching out to meet his...

"OI! KILI! KATERI!! WHERE'VE YOU GONE OFF TO NOW?" Came a voice through the trees. 

Kili sighed and got off of Kateri. "Over here, Fili."

His brother came over, and saw the two of them, Kili standing and Kateri laying on the ground "...Am I interrupting something?"

"Not anymore." Kili growled as she shoved past Fili. 

Fili waited for Kili to be out of earshot before saying to Kateri with a shake of his head, "Didn't even help you up. Maybe chivalry /is/ dead."

"Heard that!"

Fili winced. Apparently not out of earshot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So as you can tell, I know nothing about ax or sword fighting. Sorry. I only know a bit of self-defence and archery. 
> 
> Also: I realize that there was no real build-up to Thorin and Bilbo, but really, who wouldn't fall for a dark haired king dwarf? The same goes for Kateri and Kili. It's more just a crush right now.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

"...so then I said to him, 'No, /you're/ the cave troll around here!'" Fili said. Kateri doubled over laughing, and the dwarf laughed as well.

Kili sat across the fire from them, scowling. He didn't like how close the two of them were getting. His scowl got deeper as Fili put his arm around the girl, and she leaned her head on his shoulder. 

"Laddie," came Balins voice from beside him. "I think that sausage is quite done."

Kili glanced down at the sausage he was holding over the fire in a stick- or, more /in/ the fire now. He cursed under his breath. 

"Oh!" Fili cried. "I'd almost forgotten! Look at what me, Ori and Bilbo managed to make for you!" He reached into his pack and pulled out a pair of pants, a shirt, and a roughly made corset, all in Kateri's size.

"Oh my! Thank you! They're lovely!" She cried. "But, how did you know my, um, /measurements/ for the corset?"

Fili blushed. "We, uh, we took your old one while you were bathing in the river and wrote down the measurements."

She punched him in the arm. "Sneaky little buggers! But thank you! I'll go put them on." She took the clothes in her arms and went off to change. 

Kili clenched his teeth together. His /brother/ could have seen Kateri /bathing/! Why didn't he tell him he was making something for her?! Kateri came back, and his jaw dropped.

The clothes fit her perfectly! 

The pants went down to her mid-calf, and were a dark shade of gray. The shirt was blue, and the corset a darker blue. 

The corset was rather low, however, and she had left the top few buttons of the shirt open...

Kili shook his head. 

Why was he so attracted to her? Well, that was a stupid question...

She was beautiful. 

Her dark blonde curly hair was always loose around her shoulders, and her eyes...her eyes were round and as green as the grass that grew on the ground, frames by long dark lashes. 

He realized he was staring again and glanced away. He thought she had... assumed, really...But now, Fili? he thought, Why not? He had a beard. A big one, too. And he had fancy braids running through both his beard and hair. 

Kili had no beard, no braids. Even Ori had a better beard then him!

"I love it, Fili!" He heard Kateri say, and he looked up just in time to see her plant a kiss on his cheek.

The other dwarves all teased with "oohs" and laughter, and Bombur even called out "Somebody's getting lucky tonight!", which was met by, of course, more laughter.

Kateri's face turned bright red, and she sat down, just as Kili stood up and walked over to his sleeping bag. 

Kateri watched him go, frowning. 

Was he...jealous? She thought. No no, he couldn't be! There wasn't anything to be jealous of! Was there? 

No, she definitely had feelings for Kili. He was sweet to her, he was teaching her how to shoot, he rode next to her nearly everyday on the road, keeping her company... And /very/ attractive

But Fili was sweet as well, and funny, and handsome also...

...Oh no, She thought, am I falling for both of them?

 

"Fili, can I have a word with you?" Kili asked his brother.

"Of course, what is it?" The blonde dwarf asked, slowing his pony so he was at the same speed as Kili.

"Do you... what do you think of Kateri?" 

"She's a lovely girl." He answered honestly, giving his brother a strange look but smiling nonetheless. 

"That's all?"

"Well, no, I mean, she's kind and smart, a fairly good fighter as well, and," He winked at his brother and laughed, "She's not exactly hard on the eyes."

"Oh," Kili said. He started to ride faster.

"Kili? Kili! Wait up! Why are you so upset?" 

"You really don't know? Are you that blind? Or just stupid?"

Fili was taken aback by his brothers words. "Why are you so upset about me liking Kat?"

"'Kat?'" Kili growled. "Since when do you call her 'Kat?'"

"What? It's just a nickname-"

"And the only one who ever calls her that is Bilbo! And he's extremely close with her! Do you really not see what I'm getting at?"

"No, I don't! I- oh. /Oh/. Now I see." 

Kili glared at his brother and urged his pony to go faster, leaving his brother behind. 

"Wait!" Fili called. "I never meant I liked her like that! She is like a sister to me! Kili!"

Kili rode until he got to Kateri. "Fili?"

"No, I'm Kat." She joked, an eyebrow raised.

"No, I mean /Fili/."

" What about him?"

"You... you like him? Quite a bit?"

"Well, yes. He's been awfully kind to me lately." 

"And have I not?" He hissed.

Kateri looked at him harshly. "Lately, no! You're always moody and harsh, now you're acting strange. I thought I..." She turned red and looked away.

 

Kili's heart skipped a beat. "What?"

"I...I am not sure..."

And with that Kili's face went stony and he rode off again. 

"Kili!" She yelled. "KILI!!" 

As he rode away, there were tears in his eyes. 

Kateri sat there on her pony, and she didn't realize she was crying until Fili caught up to her and asked what was wrong. 

She didn't say anything, just looked at him.

"Oh." Fili said softly. "He talked to you too, didn't he." 

She nodded, biting her lip to keep from crying, but it didn't work. More tears spilled down her cheeks and she reached over to hug Fili. He hugged her back, but tentatively. 

She grasped onto him, afraid that he would leave too.

"Why don't you ride with me?" He suggested. 

She nodded and hopped onto his pony behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her cheek against his back. 

By the time they caught up to everyone else her face was dry. 

That night she moved her sleeping bag closer to Fili and farther away from Kili, and it didn't go unnoticed. 

"What's going in between the three of them?" Bofur asked Bilbo. 

The hobbit shook his head. "I don't know. I thought that Kateri and Kili were..." He let his voice trail off. "But now I don't know. She's become very close with Fili, but I don't think Kili likes it."

Bofur nodded. "I thought I heard shouting earlier today. It's a shame, the brothers have never fought before." 

Bilbo looked at them sadly. 

Kateri and Fili were lying on their sides talking quietly, and Kili was laying alone, and his back was to the two of them. 

As the night grew late, Kateti snuggled up to Fili and they slept side by side.

Kili slept alone, away from the company, trying but failing to hold in the tears that had been in his eyes all day.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There really is no timeline at all here, I decided to add a lake and so there was a lake added. 
> 
> Because, really, it was 100% luck that the company ended up exactly where Gandalf wanted them too.

The company had stopped near an abandoned house for the night, despite Gandalfs protests that they should move on. 

Thorin and him a a bit of a fight, which ended with Gandlaf storming off. 

"Is everything alright?" Kateri asked him. " Gandalf? Where are you going?"

"To seek the company of the only person around here who has any sense!"

"And who is that?"

"Myself, Miss Took! I've had enough of dwarves for one day!"

Kateri paused. "I am no dwarf. Might I accompany you?"

Gandalf paused, then smiled slightly. "Yes, I suppose you may." They walked quite a ways away from the company.

"Gandalf?"

"Yes?"

"I never did thank you for telling Thorin that I was a Took. I don't know why you said the lie, but-"

"Lie? Oh no, it was no lie."

"But...what do you mean? I never knew my parents, how could you know if I am part Took?"

"You have a certain Tookish air to you, as though you would be willing to fight anytime and anywhere and any/one/."

"Oh. Well, thank you, I suppose." She paused. "Gandalf, we should head back. We've been gone a while, who knows what sort of trouble they could've gotten into?" She said it as a joke, but Gandalf turned suddenly, squinting his eyes towards the direction they came from. 

"We must go now! Quickly Kateri, run!" He cried out suddenly, and she did as she was told. Gandalf could not quite keep up with her, and when she slowed down he wheezed out, "No, no! Go as fast as you can! They need help! Stall until dawn." 

She did not question the old wizard. When she arrived back at the camp, she saw that no one was there.

She scurried into the woods, towards what looked like a light from another campfire. 

 

"...let the flurgaburgerahobbit talk." Came a voice she'd never heard. 

"The, uh, secret to cooking dwarf is, um..." Kateri heard Bilbo say.

Cooking dwarves!? What is going on? she thought.

Then she saw where the unknown voice came from: trolls. 

There were three of them, one standing in front of Bilbo (who was in a bloody /sack/ for some reason) and the other two were slowly turning a spit over a fire, with... dwarves tied to it? 

The rest of the dwarves were lying on the ground in sacks as well.

"Yes? Come on!" The troll growled at Bilbo. 

"It's...uh..." He glanced around nervously, and saw Kateri. 

She shook her head. 

"Tell us the secret!"

"Yes yes, I'm telling you, the secret is to...skin them first."

This, obviously, caused a HUGE uproar from the dwarves.

"Tom, get me filleting knife" Said the first troll with a grin in his face. 

"I'll get you, you little bugger!" Gloin yelled at Bilbo.

"What a load of rubbish! I've eaten plenty with there skins on, boots and all!" Said Tom.

"He's right! Nothing wrong with a bit of raw dwarf!" Said the third as he picked up Bombur and held him above his mouth. "Nice and crunchy!"   
Bombur was practically crying, he was so scared.

"Not that one!" Bilbo cried. "He's infected!"

"You /what/?" Growled Tom. 

"He's got worms in his...tubes..." Kateri gave Bilbo a look of disgust and he have her one of despair. 

"Eugh!!" The third troll cried, dropping Bombur on Kili. 

"Serves him right for being such an ass." Kateri muttered, then scolded herself silently. Now was /not/ the time to be-

"In fact, they all do! They're all infested with them, nasty business. I wouldn't risk it, I really wouldn't." 

"What did he say?" Oin shouted. "Did he say we have parasites?"

"He did!" Kili yelled. "We don't have parasites, you have parasites!"

Kateri saw a look if realization pass over Thorin, who kicked Kili, and everyone stopped shouting. 

"I've got parasites as... big as me arm!" Oin shouted. 

"Mine are the biggest parasites! I've got HUGE parasites!" Kili shouted as well. 

And then they were all shouting again. 

Kateri couldn't help the paranoid giggles that escaped her.

"We're riddled!" Dwalin said from his place on the turning spit. 

"Yes! We're riddled!" Ori agreed. 

"Yes, we are!" Dori said. 

"What would you have us do then? Let 'em all go?" Asked the first troll suspiciously.

"Weeeell..." Bilbo said slowly.

"You think I don't know what you're up to?" He looked over at the other trolls. "This little ferrets taking us for fools!"

"Ferret?!" Bilbo cried, obviously offended greatly.

Kateri leaped out from her hiding spot without thinking. "OI!" She yelled at the trolls. 

They all turned to her. "What's that?" Tom asked. 

"I dunno. Can we eat her?" 

Her eyes widened, then heard Gandalf.

"Dawn will take you all!" He cried standing in a large boulder. 

"Who's that?"

"I dunno. Can we eat him?" 

Gandalf slammed his staff down on the boulder and it cracked in half, revealing the rising sun behind it. 

The trolls all screamed and tried to move, but their skin slowly hardening until they had turned to stone.

"Huh," Kateri said, looking more than slightly impressed. 

 

 

Kateri and Gandalf untied the dwarves from the spit and let them all out of their sacks. 

They were upset with Bilbo for a bit, then Gandalf snapped, "He stalled for time, none of you thought of that!" 

 

Kateri had gone over to Fili. "Are you alright?" 

"I'm fine." He said with a smile. 

She smiled back. "Good." 

"Oh, I'm fine too, thanks for asking." Kili muttered.

"I didn't ask." Kateri snapped.

"Yes, I was being sarcastic." 

"Alright, that's it." Fili said.

"What?" The other two asked at the same time.

"Kateri, Kili, make up already! You're being /children/!"

"Oh, and you're not?" They said in union again. 

They gave each other a sharp glance.

"I'm not apologizing." The said again.

They looked at each other again, eyes wide. 

"This is getting strange." Kili said.

Kateri laughed, which made Kili smile.

She looked over at him."Sorry for being rude." 

"So am I."

"Oi! Lovebirds!" Dwalin called. "We've found the trolls cave! There's goooolld!" 

Fili and Kili ran to the cave without a second thought, leaving Kateri to catch up. 

When they got there, a few of the dwarves were making a "long term deposit" with the gold. 

Farther back, Gandalf and Thorin found elf-made swords. Thorin was reluctant at first, but took it despite his hatred for the elves. Bilbo even got a sword. A small one, really.

"Looks more like a toothpick to me!" Kili whispered to his brother, who chuckled in agreement, they're fight long behind them. 

Kateri stood outside of the cave, watching to make sure no one snuck up on them. 

Suddenly, she saw something rather strange. "Gandalf! Uh, who is this?" 

A short man wearing all brown was standing on a sled pulled by large rabbits. "Radagast!" Gandalf said happily. 

Radagast spoke quickly to Gandlaf, and the pair looked worried. 

Then, a chilling sound rang through the forest. 

"Was that a wolf?" Bilbo asked nervously.

"That was no wolf." Bofur said.

Kateri screamed.

Everyone turned to where she was looking, just as a warg leaped down from where it had been hiding.

Dwalin heaved his ax and hit it in the side of the head, at the same time Kili shot it with an arrow. 

"There will be more. This was only a scout. To the ponies!" Gandalf told them.

Ori came running over. "They've all bolted!"

"I'll draw them off!" Radagast announced, and took off before anyone could say differently.

They all ran. 

They ran in every direction possible, since Radagast was not able to go in a straight line, he had to turn so he wouldn't get struck down by an Orc sword or get chomped by a warg.

The one time a warg got close to them, they hid underneath a boulder. it jumped on top, and Thorin told Kili to shoot it.

He gathered his courage, closing his eyes. 

When he opened them, Kateri was looking at him with terror on her face. 

He gave her a small nod, and whipped out from under the rock to shoot the warg. It fell, dead.

Kateri let out a breath of relief. 

They ran on. 

Somehow they ended up far far away from where Gandalf intended for them to end up. 

And then, to make matters worse, it started to snow. 

They kept running, and soon the orcs and wargs were far behind them.

"I think we are safe." Thorin said.

"Yes, but we are far away from-" Gandalf cut himself off. 

"From what?" Thorin asked suspiciously. 

"From everything!" Kateri cried. "Where are we?" 

They all looked around, and no one recognized where they were. They trudged through the snow until they came to a frozen lake. 

"Do we cross?" Fili asked Thorin.

Thorin looked ahead. "Yes. This lake has been frozen for a long time, we will be safe." 

They stepped onto the ice slowly. 

It held. 

They walked across it nervously for a few minutes, before realizing that it was in fact, very solid. 

They even camped out on it, although they didn't light a fire.

Kateri, Kili, Fili, Bofur, and Bifur all slept huddled together, keeping each other warm. 

Bilbo, Thorin, Balin, Dwalin, Oin and Gloin slept together, and Nori, Dori, Ori, Bombur and Gandalf did as well. 

Kateri woke up shivering, and snuggled in closer to the nearest body, she didn't care who it was. 

It turned out to be Bifur, who grunted in his sleep and put his arm around her. 

Out of them all, she was dressed the worst for snow. The only clothes she wore we're those given to her by Fili, her boots and her cloak. Her hair was caked in snow and ice, and she pressed herself even closer to Bifur. 

Bifur was somewhat shocked to wake up and see the pretty girl he was sleeping beside, but when he saw how much she was shivering, he pulled his cloak around her. 

She woke up, and tried to give it back. He just grunted again, and said something in a language she didn't understand. 

"He says to keep it." Kili translated. 

Bifur hardly ever spoke, so she took his words as a sign that he really wanted her to keep the heavy fur. 

She smiled her thanks and got up. 

They walked from dawn until just before dusk, and only then could they see the shore. They all cried out in relief, for they were already tired of the ice. 

Then they heard it: a groaning sound, underneath their feet. 

"The ice!" Dori yelled. "It's cracking!" 

"Run!" Gandalf bellowed. And once again, they ran. 

Only this time, Kateri was at the back. She wasn't used to the weight of the fur cloak, and was carrying an extra pack of supplies for Fili. 

She glanced behind her and saw a huge gap opening up in the ice. 

She cried out and ran faster, but not fast enough. The ice gave out underneath her feet, and she plunged in. 

She gripped the ice with her hands, trying to pull herself up, but she couldn't grip into anything. 

She reached for the sword she had strapped to her belt, and dove it into the ice just as she slipped under. 

Meanwhile, the rest of the company had made it to shore. "...Bofur and Bombur." Gandalf counted off. "Where's Kateri?" They all looked out to the lake with horror all across their faces.

"There!" Nori cried, pointing towards her sword. 

Kili started to run out, but Fili pulled him back. "Are you mad?! You'll break the ice! You're too heavy!"

"We can't leave her!" Kili turned to their burglar. "You! You're light enough! Go get her!"

"I can't swim!" He said pitifully. "If I could I would already be out there!" 

"Then I'm going!" Kili started to go again, but Fili still held him back.

"No! You won't do any good!"

"We're wasting time!" Kili sounded hysterical. 

"Wait. Can she swim on her own?" Nori asked Bilbo, trying to remain calm.

"I-I don't think so. She could barely when we were children."

Kili swore with his hands on his head, as though he was going to pull his hair out by the roots. "I'll go then, I'm a strong swimmer!"

"No." Thorin said. "I won't have you risk your life. None of you."

"You'll have her die then?" Fili said, astonished. 

Thorin looked at him gravely, while Bilbo stared at Thorin in shock. "You can't be serious. SHE CANNOT DIE!" He was shouting now. "I WILL NOT LOSE HER AGAIN, THORIN!" 

Thorin looked at him, surprised that so much anger could come from the hobbit. "I will not risk their lives." 

 

 

Kateri was sinking. She was so far from the surface, her pack, Fili's, and Bifurs cloak weighing her down.

/ I don't want to die! But I can't swim!/ she thought.

She struggled, trying to swim up but still going down. Her lungs were burning, she couldn't hold on much longer.

If it was possible to cry underwater, she would be. She felt herself start to slip away, and looked up at the ice far above her.

She could see the sun, the only light I can see down here. Then it gets brighter, and she's getting closer to it. 

And that's last thing she saw.


	7. Chapter 7

Ori hopped back up onto the ice with Kateri in his arms, spluttering. 

"Ori!" Thorin bellowed. "I told you not to!"

"Sorry, sir, but I couldn't let her drown." He said bodly. He pushed Kateri onto land, and pulled himself up. 

"Is she breathing?" Bilbo asked anxiously. 

Fili knelt down beside Kateri and undid her corset. 

"Fili!" Kili cried. "What are you doing?!"

"Relax!" He snapped. "I'm helping her." He laced his fingers together and placed them in her chest. He pumped down a few times, then stopped and plugged her nose. 

"Well now she can't breathe at all!" Kili cried. 

"Will you shut it?!" Fili shouted. He bent his head over her and pressed his lips to hers, blowing air in her mouth. He repeated this twice, and then suddenly she sat up, coughing up water. 

"T-t-thanks." She managed to get out before passing out again.

"Let her sleep," Oin said. "She's fine now, but we need to get her into dry clothes. You too, Ori."

Gloin passed over a shirt, Bombur a pair of pants and a rope to tie them around her small waist, Nori a pair of thick socks, and Bofur even passed over his hat.

Ori refused to put his knitted gloves and scarf back on, and put them on Kateri, wrapping the scarf around her face so only her nose and eyes were showing. 

"Has anyone got another cloak?" Kili asked them. "Anyone?"

A shadow passed over his kneeling body, and a large fur cloak was placed on the ground beside Kateri. 

Kili looked up to see that it was Thorin, who was willingly giving up his beloved fur. He wouldn't look at his nephew and walked away.

"Right then, who's going to put the new clothes on her?" Ori asked the others. 

Fili and Kili looked at each other. "We will." They said in union. "Now look away." Fili added. The company did as they were told, but a few snuck glances over their shoulders. 

Kili took Kateri's corset off completely, and started to undo the buttons. 

He but his lip, feeling exceedingly awkward as he took her shirt off, and her whole upper body was naked. 

He took a breif moment to stare, then put Gloins shirt in her and Bofurs hat on her head. "Done up here." He said to his brother.

"And here." Fili replied. They wrapped her up in Thorins cloak. "We need to find shelter."

"I think I saw a mountain range over there." Gloin pointed through the storm. "There'll be some cover there."

"Let us go, then." Thorin agreed. "Fili, Kili, can you carry the girl?" The boys nodded and lifted her up, Kili at her head and Fili at her feet.

They walked slowly, the storm slowing them down. They finally arrived at the base, and started to climb up the narrow path. 

After a while, they came to a cave. "Check the back." Thorin ordered. They did, and it was safe. The brothers set Kateri down gently at the back of the cave. "We'll wait te storm out in here. Get comfortable, lads."

 

 

"I AM SO BOOOORED!" Kili cried from his position against the rocks in the cave, hours later. "If this storm doesn't die down soon, I'm gonna end up braiding my hair."

"You should anyways," Fili said. "It would look good with a few braids."

"You're joking. /Me/ with braids?"

"Just a few, I could do it if you like." 

"Ugh, nooo. Get away!" He swatted his brothers hands away as he reached for Kili's hair. "Go braid Kateri's hair if you're so eager!"

He paused. "That's not a bad idea. She's wake up with pretty hair, that'd be sure to put a smile on her face."

"Go on then."

He walked over to Kateri and moved her so her head was in his lap. 

Damn, maybe I should've offered to braid her hair, he thought.

Fili sat there for a moment, then said, "Has anyone got a comb? Her hairs horribly tangled." 

"Dori's got one!" Nori called over with a laugh. Dori gave his brother a look before handing Fili the comb. 

He started to brush the tangles out of her hair, but every time he got to a big knot, he would wince. "That's it, I feel like I'm hurting her. You do it, Kili." 

He sighed and got up, switching places with Fili. He started to slowly work the comb through her hair, making sure that he didn't pull too hard. 

After a few minutes, her hair was smooth and knot-free again. He ran his fingers through it like he was searching for any missed tangles, but really he just enjoyed the feeling of her hair. "What kind of braids should we do?" Kili asked. 

"Fish-tail." Nori said.

"Those are for elves." He said with a shake of his head. "I could rope braid it."

"That's the worst type of braid anyone can do!" Fili cried. "All it is is twisting hair around other twists."

"Well, that's the only braid I'm good at. Teach me another."

Fili rolled his eyes and went over. "We'll just do one big regular braid, hm?" He nodded and Fili showed his brotber how, turning her silky hair over in his hands, and then it was half done. 

"You do the rest."

He worked slowly, trying to get it perfect, but mixed up at some point and had to undo it all. 

"Why'd you do that?!" Fili cried.

"'Cause I messed up."

"It doesn't have to be perfect!"

"Yeah it does!"

"It should be beautiful." Came Ori's voice. They looked over at him, and he blushed. "Cause, you know, she's beautiful too..."

"I agree with Ori." Kili said. 

"Fine. Do it again then. I'm not helping." Fili huffed and walked away to go talk to Bofur.

Kili started the braid again. 

Whoops, try again. 

And again, and again. 

It took him a few tries, but eventually he tied it off. 

"Done." He called out. 

Fili came over and inspected his work. "Nicely done, brother. It only took you an hour."

"It's been an hour?!" 

"Yeah..."

"And she's still sleeping? Hasn't it been a bit too long?"

Fili thought for a moment. "I suppose it has." He called the others over, and Balin and Gandalf exchanged a look.

"Do you think that was-?"

"I didn't think so at first, but now-"

"If it was-"

"And she still hasn't awoken-"

"It was."

"What are you too talking about!?" Kili asked. "You're making no sense."

Gandalf cleared his throat. "Have any of you ever heard of the Tùlàr lake?"

"No."

"Well, legend says that it is poisoned, and anyone who drinks from it will fall asleep and never wake up, unless treated soon."

They sat there for a moment. "So you're saying that that huge lake back there was Tùlàr Lake? And that Kateri is going to be like this forever?" 

"There is a way we might save her."

"How?!"

"The elves at Rivendell are the best healers we could get-"

"We are /not/ going to Rivendell!" Thorin declared. "And we are /not/ getting any help from elves."

"But uncle-" Kili started, but was cut off.

"/No/ Kili." 

"Uncle Thorin!" Fili cried suddenly. "She's ice cold! She hasn't warmed up a bit! She is going to /die/ if we don't get her there as soon as possible."

"Fili-"

"Thorin," Bilbo said softly. "We /need/ to go."

Thorin looked at the hobbit for a long time, then said, "Fine." 

Whooaa, Kili thought, what was /that/?!

"Come on Kili, lets wrap her up in blankets, and we'll have to carry her again." He heard his brother say. 

"Yes, alright."

 

It was a five day walk to Rivendell through the never-ceasing storm. 

They found shelter when they could, but mostly slept out in the cold, one of them sharing ther sleeping bag with Kateri to try and help her stay warm.

Fili, Kili, Ori, Bilbo and even Dwalin were usually the ones who shared. 

Dwalin had even carried Kateri when Fili and Kili got tired. "Oi, lads, she'll not stay warm with you carrying her like that. One person carries her at a time in their arms, that was she gets body heat, and lots of it. I'll take her for a bit." The brothers thanked him and he scooped her up like she weighed no more then a rabbit. 

At last they arrived at Rivendell. Gandalf, being the only one who could speak Elvish, spoke to Elrond and he had Kateri put in a room. "Welcome to Rivendell." He said to the dwarves and hobbit. "You have had a long journey. Please, come rest and eat."

At the mention of food, all but Thorin hurried along after the elves. He hung back to speak with Gandalf. "One night." He said. "That's as long as we stay."

"It will take far longer then that to heal the girl." The old wizard said. "One week would be more likely."

"A week?! No, we are not staying that long. We'll leave without her then."

Gandalf chuckled. "Good luck doing that." 

 

 

"Has there been any progress?" Gandalf asked Elrond, a week later as he had predicted. 

"I'm afraid not. Nothing is working on the girl, I am running out of options."

Gandalf thought for a moment. "Might I look through your libraries?"

"Of course."

"Thank you." He walked off, just as Kili and Thorin approached the elf. 

"Nothing has changed." He said before they could ask. "Except that she is occasionally moving, but still as though she is asleep." 

Kili closed his eyes, and Thorin scowled. "Kili, go get everyone. We need to talk."

Kili did as he was told and soon all the dwarves, Bilbo, Gandalf and Elrond were seated at a large table. 

"We must leave without her. We have our own journey, need I remind you, and we have been delayed far too long."

"Uncle, no!" Kili cried. "We cannot abandon her here!"

"I must agree with Thorin." Dori said. 

"I, too, reluctantly." Gloin said sadly. 

"What?! No! You can't be serious!" 

"We can't just leave!" Fili yelled. A huge argument broke out, with everyone yelling at each other, until finally...

"EVERYONE BE QUIET." Thorin yelled as loud as he could. "You know why this is happening? Because you're all falling in love with her. /All/ of you." He looked right at Bilbo when he said the last part, which made the hobbits jaw drop. 

"No we are not!" He cried. "How could you say that?" He sounded hurt, and he was. 

"Actually," Elrond said slowly, "That is not entirely impossible."

"What do you mean, elf?" Thorin growled.

"I have discovered something. About the girl."

"Well? What is it? Spit it out!"

"She is no hobbit, although I'm sure many of you realized that earlier. She is no elf either, or dwarf, or man."

"I...what?"

"She is one of few who has genes from every race." He looked at Gandalf. "/Every/ race."

"What are you saying? That she is part wizard?" Gandalf asked.

"A very small part, but yes. She would be powerful enough to cast a love charm on all of you."

"She. Is. Part. Elf." Thorin growled slowly. "I knew we shouldn't have brought her along." He turned to Oin. "You should have left her! You should have left her where you found her!"

"We found her bleeding out on the ground!"

"You should have left her." he repeated. 

Everyone went quiet at his words.

"She has been nothing but a burden, and you all know it. She is not as fast as us, as smart, as cunning, she has no reason to come with us, aside from the gold! She wants it all for herself! A nice shiny prize for her! Why do you think she has been with Fili and Kili this whole time?" 

Kili and Fili gasped, offended. 

"And I'm sure she /loved/ driving a wedge between the two of you! That's all she'll do, that's all she'll ever do! And she is an elf! Our enemy since the beginning. I'll bet she is working with Thranduil! Trying to slow us down! That's the reason she came, to make sure our mission failed, one way or another."

"THORIN!" Bilbo yelled. Everyone stopped to stare at the hobbit, who had a fiery gleam in his eye. "She is not like that! I have known her all my life, and she has never done a terrible thing. /Ever/. We are not leaving without her."

"You are all blinded!" Thorin yelled. "She was bewitched you all!"

"I have not." Came a voice from the doorway. 

 

Kateri had awoken suddenly with a gasp only moments before everyone sat down. 

She had gotten up, and started walking, feeling as though she was in a dream. 

She had heard raised voices, and followed them. 

When she got closer, she had hid behind a pillar and listened. 

There were tears running down her cheeks as she stepped out from her hiding spot. "Is that really what you think of me, Thorin? This whole time, you've hated me?"

He simply looked at her. "You...are awake?"

"How else would I be standing here? Not by witchcraft, I can tell you that much! I've ways known that I am not of one race, but I never would have guessed that I am an elf, or /magical/! If you didn't want me on this trip, I would not have come. I would have turned around and gone back to the Shire, like you said. But wait! That's not what you said, is it?/ Is it?!/" She screamed . "You said that I should have been left to bleed out on the ground! You wish me dead! You hate me so much, and I have not done one thing to you. Not one thing." Her voice cracked on her last words, and she covered my mouth with her hand to keep from sobbing uncontrollably. "You- you want me /dead/." She ran from the room.

Or, tried to. 

She made it to about where Bombur was before feeling extremely light headed.

She stopped suddenly, her hands going to her head.

Then searing pain shot though her head, and she fainted. 

Bombur attempted to catch her, but couldn't quite get to her in time.

Her head hit the ground hard.

Fili and Kili were on their feet in seconds, and rushed to her side. She started convulsing.

"What's happening?" Fili cried. 

"We need to get her back to her room, now!" Elrond told him.

Fili nodded and lifted her up and ran to her room.

He laid her down carefully on her bed and covered her in blankets. She had stopped convulsing, and was now just shivering.

"She's so cold." Fili said to himself as he felt her forehead. He left to go get her more blankets. 

 

 

Back in the room with the large table, Kili rounded on Thorin. "What have you done?! Do you ever think of anyone's feeling before you say something? Have you no heart?"

Thorin simply stood there. 

"You realize what you said, don't you? You said that the only reason any of us like her is because she 'cast a spell'! That is as far away from the truth as possible! And we are not /all/ falling in love with her!" 

"I think we should leave." Dwalin whispered to the others. They all nodded and left quietly, unnoticed by Thorin and Kili. 

"Really?" Snapped Thorin. "You're not in love with her?"

"I never said that. I said that not /all/ of us are. There's two who /clearly/ are not interested in her like that at all."

"What are you saying?!"

"Oh my- /We all know that you've been with Bilbo!/"

Thorins eyes widened. "Did she tell you? Of course she did, she probably told everyone."

"You're kidding me, right? Bilbo's pants were on inside out! And do you think we're all deaf? We can hear you when you try to be quiet."

"I-"

"And you accused Bilbo of not loving you anymore. Have fun dealing with the mess you made." And with that Kili walked away. 

Thorin walked back to his room slowly, and sat down on the edge of his bed. 

He put his head in his hands and started to sob.

Fili, who was walking by, blankets piled high in his arms, heard him and stopped. "Uncle? Are you alright?"

Thorin looked up and started to say yes, but then choked on the word. "No. No, Fili I'm not. I've made such a mess of things. Kili won't ever forgive me if Kateri doesn't wake up, and if she wakes up, /she'll/ never forgive me, and Bilbo..." He let his voice trail off.

Fili dropped the blankets and sat down beside his uncle, putting his arm around him. "It's alright. Bilbo will forgive you if you apologize. Kili will come around eventually, and as for Kat... well, I think we'll be able to deal with her if she wakes up." 

"'If.'" Thorin said. "If she never does, it will be my fault. All my fault..." He put his head in his hands again, and Fili rubbed his shoulder. 

 

Meanwhile, Ori had snuck into Kateri's room after Elrond had left. 

He sat down in a chair beside her and held her hands in his. Kili walked in on them a few minutes later, and Ori jumped up. "I-I wanted to help keep her warm." 

Kili smiled. "I'll take over for a bit. Get some sleep." Ori nodded and left. Kili took his place and held Kateri's freezing hands. 

He noticed that the tips of her fingers and her lips were starting to get a bluish tinge. "Oh god..." He said to himself. 

He sat there for hours, his heart skipping a beat every time she moved, but she stayed asleep. 

Then he noticed something: the bluish colouring in her lips and fingers was gone. 

"Elrond!" He shouted. He ran from the room. "Elrond! Elrond!" 

He finally found the elf in his libraries. "Kateri. She's getting better!" 

They hurried back to the room, and Kili told Elrond what happened.

"That is... extraordinary. Perhaps the body heat is warming her up." They decided that everyone would rotate through shifts of holding her hands to keep her warm. 

Thorin took the longest one. He sat by her side for four hours, eventually falling asleep with his head resting on the bed. 

He woke up a while later, his neck cramping from the awkward position. 

As he started to sit up, he saw something strange: blue on her wrist.

He pulled her sleeve up, revealing more blue veining through her skin. 

"Oh no. Oh god.." He lifted her shirt up, and as he expected, the colour had spread there as well. He wrapped her in his cloak and ran to get help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back on track with the actual story/movie now... Sorta...


	8. Chapter 8

"The blue is covering her entire body!" Thorin cried. "We just couldn't see it before!" 

Elrond spun around. "What?"

"The blue veins! They are covering her everywhere! She hasn't been getting better, she's been getting worse.

The elf gave him a sorry look. "I have done everything I can, Thorin, I am sorry. Perhaps more body heat? It seemed to work before..."

Thorin nodded. "Yes. Alright." 

He went back to Kateri's room and watched her sleeping form for a moment. 

Then he walked over to her bed and lifted the covers. He slid underneath them and pulled Kateri close to him, wrapping his arms around her small frame. 

She rolled in her sleep, curling up on his lap, her head resting on his chest. 

He held her as tightly as he could, hoping she would warm up, even only a bit. 

Bofur walked in on them like that, and raised an eyebrow at Thorin. 

He explained what was happening, and Bofur left to go get the others. 

When Kili walked in and saw Thorin and Kateri so close, a pang of jealousy rang though him, but it went away quickly when Thorin told them why he was doing it. 

After a moment, Gandalf said slowly, "I have found a spell... it could help her, or make things even worse."

"If it would help her, you should do it!" Bofur said.

"But just /how/ worse could you make it?" Fili asked.

"If it went as bad as it could, her heart would slow down and eventually stop. And she would remain asleep the entire time." 

"Then she wouldn't be in any pain! That's good!" Nori said. 

"But she'd still die!" Kili exclaimed. "That's too high a risk!"

"Then she'll freeze to death!" Thorin said from his place in the bed. "I can feel the cold through her clothes!" 

A large argument broke out, with Nori, Dori, Oin, Gloin, Thorin, Balin and Gandalf willing to use the spell, Bombur and Dwalin unsure, and the rest against it completely. 

"We'll decide tomorrow then." Balin said after they couldn't come to an agreement.

Everyone nodded and shuffled out of the room, except for Kili. 

"Uncle, you should rest." He said.

"I have."

"In your own bed."

"I am fine where I am." Kili looked at him hard, and Thorin sighed. "Fine. Keep her warm." 

Kili nodded. "I will." Thorin got up to leave.

Just before he was out the door, Kili called after him, "I am sorry for the things I said. But you really need to speak with Bilbo."

Thorin paused in the doorway, not turning around. "I suppose I should." Was all he said. He left, and went straight to Bilbo's room. 

 

 

He knocked on the closed door, opening it when a faint "come in," came from inside.

He walked in, and Bilbo looked up from the book he was reading. "Oh. Hello Thorin."

"I'm sorry Bilbo. For everything."

"Yes, you should be."

"I-I don't know what came over me, I just-"

"Really? Well I do. You are so blinded my your hatred for elves and anything different from you that you said an innocent girl should die. You accused her of things you /know/ she didn't do. You accused me of loving her!" He shouted. Then he took a deep breath. "I do love her Thorin, but as a /sister/, not a lover. Not the way I love y- erm, not the way you think I do. On the ice, when you wouldn't let anyone save her, when I said I couldn't lose her... look, you don't understand. It's complicated."

"No, I don't understand. But I could if you would tell me." 

Bilbo sighed. "It was 35 years ago, when me and her were both fourteen..."

 

/A young Bilbo and Kateri were running through the misty forest near the Shire. "You can't catch me!" Kateri cried as she passed him.

"Oh I will!" He called back. They continued running trough the trees, until Bilbo stopped suddenly, unsure of where his friend went. "Kat? Kat! Where are you? Kat?" 

"Bilbo!"

"Kat!"

"Over here!" He followed the sound of her voice until he found her. "Oh Bilbo!" She cried, flinging her arms around him. "I thought I'd lost you!" He could hear tears in her voice as he clung to her. 

"So did I!"

"Promise you'll never leave me!"

"I promise! But you have to promise that I won't ever lose you again! Don't go running off!"

"I won't! I promise!" She kissed him on the cheek, and he blushed. Kateri frowned slightly when he did not return the kiss, but she gripped his hand and they walked back to the Shire. 

 

 

Four years later, Bilbo knocked on Kateri's door. "Kat? Are you there?" 

Kateri's adoptive mother opened the door. "She's busy." She snapped. 

"What do you mean? What's she doing?"

"I've arranged for her to work in a palace of men. She's packing her things. You'd better go now." She closed the door on him. 

He glanced around, making sure no one was watching before running to the window that led to his friends bedroom. He tapped on the window, making her jump. 

"Oh," she breathed. "It's you." She opened the window fully and helped Bilbo in. "You shouldn't be here, if Lila catches you-"

"She wont, I'll be quiet." 

Kateri smiled, then it slowly slid off her face and she began to cry. "I don't want to go! I want to stay here! With you!" 

"I know, I know." He said comfortingly. He held open his arms and she rushed into them. They held onto each other, Kateri sobbing quietly and tears sliding down Bilbo's face as well. 

"I thought we promised to never leave each other." She sniffed.

"I guess some promises have to be broken." He said sadly. "Oh god, I don't want to lose you, Kat! I don't know what I'll do..."

"Me neither, Bilbo."

A loud knock came from Kateri's door. "Are you packed yet?"

"Almost, Lila!" She called. She turned back to Bilbo. "I wish we had more time to say goodbye." She whispered.

"So do I."

"I love you Bilbo. I always will."

"So will I, Kat."

They embraced once more before Bilbo climbed out the window. "I'll come back eventually." Kateri promised. 

Bilbo nodded. "Until then."

"Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Kat."

Only minutes later, Kateri was on a horse, traveling with a small party of men to Annúminas with tears streaking down her face, and Bilbo stood at the end of the road, watching her until she was out of sight.../

 

 

"...And the first time I've seen her since then was when you all showed up at my house. I thought I had her back. And now I've almost lost her. Twice."

Thorin stood there, not sure what to say. "Bilbo, I..."

"I know you had no idea. You never asked. You never talked to me at first, and then we...I-I thought you loved me, Thorin. I really did. And then everything seemed so perfect; I had Kat back, I had you. And then you just stopped talking to me again. Then on the ice, you acted like you didn't care about her life, about what would happen if she died. And I guess you didn't. You didn't think for one second that her death might affect me, or Fili, or Kili, or anyone else! Then you agreed to come here, and I thought, I thought maybe, just /maybe/, things were going to get better. But they got worse. And when you said that she should be dead, I..." 

He gulped. "I realized that you care about no one else. All you care about is getting Erebor back. You don't care who you lose, you jut want your precious kingdom back. And you said that you thought I loved her, and not you, and I just..." He shook his head. "I don't- I /can't/be with you anymore. Not ever." The hobbit walked past Thorin and to the doorway. 

"Bilbo!" He called. "Wait!" Bilbo stopped, and turned to his past lover. "You- you're saying that you no longer love me?"

"Oh Thorin, I do love you. I always have, always will. I just don't /like/ you anymore." 

Thorin stood there, dumbfounded. Then, he was angry. "You say /I/ only care about myself. What about you? All you've wanted this whole time was to go back to your hobbit-hole. What's the real reason you came? The gold?"

"No! The reason I came was /you/, Thorin. It always has been you." And with that, he left. 

Thorin stood there, fuming with anger. He didn't realize he was crying until he felt something wet on his face. 

He wiped them away. He /never/ cried, and now he was crying twice in one day? What was wrong with him?!

He stormed out of the hobbits room, and when he passed Fili, who asked what was wrong, he yelled "LEAVE ME ALONE!" 

Fili was startled by his uncles words, and turned to Dwalin, who was standing nearby and had seen Thorins outburst. "What...?"

"No idea." 

While Bilbo and Thorin were fighting, Kili had climbed into Kateri's bed and pulled the layers of blankets over them. 

He saw that her braid had come undone, and started to do it again. 

He finished, brushing a few stray strands if hair off of her face gently. He became too hot, and took off his gloves, boots and shirt. 

He settled back in, and wrapped his bare arms around Kateri. She shifted in her sleep, so half her shoulder and her head were resting on him.

Her hand was resting on his thigh, and he tried not to think /very/ inappropriate thoughts.

He felt the small part of her upper back that wasn't covered in clothes touch his chest, and bit his lip. 

He couldn't bare the thought if her dying, of never seeing her beautiful green eyes again, of never hearing her laugh or talk or say his name. 

He started stroking her braided hair gently, and she sighed, as though she could feel it.

They stayed like that for hours, and then she moved again, curling up on her side so the side of her head was against his bare chest, and her whole body and legs pressed against his. 

She brought her hand up to rest in a loose fist on his opposite shoulder, so she appeared to be hugging him.

Her head was right above Kili's heart, and it skipped a beat as she made a small noise, like she was about to wake up. 

He held his breath, hoping, /praying/ that she would. But she didn't. 

He closed his eyes. "Hear that?" He said to her softly. "That's my heart. It's beating for you, Kateri. Stay with us, keep your own heart beating. For me./ Please/."

She moved again, her head resting on his shoulder, her lips against his neck and her breath warming his skin. 

Kili fell asleep like that, in that perfect moment. /Nearly/ perfect, he would remind himself. 

It would be perfect if he knew that they would wake up together in the morning.

 

 

"Kili. Kili, get up." Gandalf said. Kili opened his eyes to see the wizard standing over him and Kateri. 

"I, um, I was...keeping her warm..."

Gandalf chuckled. "I know. Go get breakfast, Bombur's made bacon. I'll watch her for you." 

Kili gave him a small smile and gently lifted Kateri off him, got up, and put his shirt and boots back on. 

 

He left the room, and Gandalf waited a minutes or two before closing the door. 

He turned and walked back over to the sleeping girl. 

He took and deep breath, and began performing the spell. 

He spoke in an old language, one that had not been spoken in many centuries, and lifted his staff so it was directly overtop of Kateri.

He continued speaking in the ancient language, and suddenly her eyes snapped open. 

Her back arched, and she screamed. Loud. She continued screaming as a black smoke seemed to pour out of her mouth. 

Her fists clenched, her legs twitched, and she was screaming bloody murder.

And then the spell was complete, and Gandalf lowered his staff, and Kateri returned to how she was before. 

Just then, all the dwarves but Thorin, Bilbo and Elrond came barging in. "What did you do to her?!" Kili yelled.

"I preformed the spell."

"We hadn't decided yet!" Fili growled. 

"I had." Gandalf said simply. 

"Well? Did it work or not?" Bilbo asked anxiously.

Balin went over to her and felt for her pulse. "She's alive, but only barely. I can feel her heartbeat slowing already." 

Gandalf closed his eyes, and Kili rounded on him. "You've killed her! It's only a matter of time now!"

"I knew the risks, and was prepared for the consequences."

"But the rest of us weren't!" 

Fili put a hand on his brothers shoulder, but Kili shrugged him off. 

Fili looked at his heartbroken brother sadly, then at Kateri. He blinked back tears.

"Come on then." He said to the company. "We'd best go."

They all left, tears in all of their eyes. 

Bilbo, Kili and Gandalf remained. 

"I was so unprepared for anyone to die." Bilbo said. "Especially-" he closed his eyes. "Especially her." 

He walked over to Kateri and kissed her on the forehead. "There," he said quietly. "I finally kissed you back, love." 

He left the room, tears streaming down his face, and they didn't stop. 

Gandalf put a hand on Kili's shoulder. "It would have happened eventually." Kili said nothing, he just stared at Kateri's unmoving body. 

Gandalf opened his mouth to say more, then closed it. He patted Kili on the shoulder and left.

Kili stood there still, not wanting to face the reality of what was going to happen. 

He walked over to her bed, and kneeled beside her. He held her hands again.

Thorin walked in on them like that hours later. "They told me what happened." He said quietly. "Kili, we're leaving tomorrow. Without her."

Kili nodded. 

Thorin looked at him sadly and left. Kili lifted Kateri's shirt up slowly, revealing more horrible blue veins.

He bit his lip and lowered her shirt, trying not to cry. He bent his head down to kiss her softly on the cheek. 

He fell asleep there, much later.

Late that night, a cold wind blew through the open widow, blowing out all the candles in the room. Kateri's heart seemed to beat loud and strong for a few seconds, then it slowed. 

And stopped completely. 

Kili woke up suddenly, and noticed the candles.

"No." He said. "No, no no no no!" He checked Kateri's heartbeat, and felt nothing. "Not now." He whimpered. "Not you. Please. Kat, oh god."

He started to cry, and rested his head on the bed, his shoulders shaking as he sobbed. Then, whispers seemed to fill the room, and he lifted his head.

A warm breeze filled the room, and the candles relit. 

Kili stared at them in wonder, and Kateri took a shuddery breath. 

Her eyes opened slowly. "Kili...?" She whispered as she sat up.

Kili gasped and turned to face her. "Kateri? You-you're alive."

"Um..." she looked around. "...yeah?" 

He gave a small laugh and wiped tears from his eyes. "I'll be right back!" He kissed her on the corner of her mouth quickly, and ran to go get everyone. 

She sat there, eyes wide. Her hand went up to where he kissed her, and she smiled. 

A few minutes later, Kili had found the whole company, and they all came running in. 

"Kat!" Bilbo practically screamed as he threw himself onto her bed and hugged her tightly. He covered her face in kisses as she had when she saw him in Bag-End. 

"Bilbo! You-?" 

"I thought I'd lost you! So many times!"

"You'll never lose me. I promised you." 

Bilbo wiped tears from his eyes. "Yes, you did." 

Kateri saw Fili and smiled at him. He smiled at her warmly, his eyes shining. 

Then she saw Gandalf. 

Her smile faded and she started to get up.

Kili started to protest, but she waved him off. 

"I'm fine." She walked over to the wizard, and stopped only a foot away from him. "You. You did something, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"And you knew that it probably wouldn't work."

"Yes." 

Kateri launched herself foreword, and hugged the old man. "Thank you. So much."

"I- your welcome." He hugged her back awkwardly. 

She pulled back and smiled. "So. What've I missed?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been WAAYY too long since I last posted and I'm sooo sorry :( so here, have angsty fluff or fluffy angst, whichever you want to call it

**Author's Note:**

> Very random, I know. Had to make it action-y somehow. 
> 
> This work was originally posted under another account of mine, but I deleted it and now I am only using this one. 
> 
> This fanfic as well as my other one will both be re-posted on this account. 
> 
> Just a heads up :)


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